sikh women Why are Sikh women always blamed for converting when Sikh men also do it

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/10733713/Traditional-Sikh-ceremony-for-couple

Traditional Sikh ceremony for couple

Nicole Mathewson08:02, Nov 12 2014

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MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/FAIRFAX NZ

'DREAM COME TRUE': Amrit Singh and Isa Zhao met when they began working at adjoining restaurants 12 years ago.

Amrit Singh and Isa Zhao met when they began working at adjoining restaurants in Parklands 12 years ago.

Yesterday, the couple married in what was thought to be the first traditional Sikh wedding to be held in Canterbury.

Singh, 33, moved to Christchurch 12 years ago and met Zhao soon after. The couple had been together since, but did not decide to "settle down" until now.

MYTCHALL BRANSGROVE/FAIRFAX NZ

UNITED: Amrit Singh and Isa Zhao tie the knot at their traditional Sikh wedding in Christchurch yesterday.

Both were students when they met.

 

They later bought a house together after deciding to stay in Christchurch and become permanent residents

 

Singh proposed last year and the couple were married in front of 110 guests at Terrace Downs Resort, near Lake Coleridge, yesterday afternoon.

"It's a dream come true," Singh said.

Zhao, 31, who moved to Christchurch from China, researched and planned a traditional Sikh wedding for her new husband, despite not following the religion herself.

Sikh ceremonies were usually held at a temple, but Christchurch's Sikh temple was still being rebuilt after Canterbury's earthquakes.

Singh said many Indians returned to India to get married because they thought they could not have a traditional ceremony here.

"We just want to prove people wrong. You can do it here," he said

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https://weddingdocumentary.com/films/jazmine-yatin-cinematic-sikh-wedding-highlights/

 

SIKH PUNJABI & MEXICAN FUSION WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS

WEDDING FILMS

OCTOBER 11, 2018

 

This film is totally awesome! When it comes to fusion weddings, it doesn’t get better than the combo of Punjabi and Mexican! When I met Jazmine it was almost hard to believe she was a Latina and not a Punjabi! She loves Indian culture and her Indian man.

Their wedding took place in Ceres and Modesto and their reception was at White Lotus Banquet Hall in Citrus Heights! The reception was the best part because of all the killer shots we got of the traditional Mexican folk dancers.

You will see by watching our films we are always looking for the interesting and unusual shots. We like to show things you normally don’t see. We like to be different and unique with our shot selection and the way we tell a story. We grew up in the MTV generation so we like quick cuts and fast action too.

If you like watching Punjabi Sikh wedding films, you are going to love this one! Sit back and enjoy!

 

 

Jazmine + Yatin | SIkh Wedding Highlights from Wedding Documentary on Vimeo.

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https://journeys.dartmouth.edu/finalcurationsunny/making-of-the-punjabi-mexican-community/

The First Punjabi-Mexican Unions

 

Source: Leonard’s book. About 378 marriages were reported in California between Punjabi-Mexican couples and mostly involved Sikh Punjabis, but they occurred in other states including Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, and even in Mexico and Canada during the first decade of the 1900s (Leonard, pp. 66-67). Many marriages also involved Muslim and Hindu Punjabis as well, although Anglos referred to all marriages generally as Hindu-Punjabi marriages, as Hindu was an umbrella term for Indians at the time (Leonard, pp. 57-58).

Why did Punjabis and Mexicans marry in the first place?

“Many Punjabis married the Mexican women that worked on their land because of their cultural similarities and proximity. And when they’d show up at the county record office, they could both check ‘brown.’ No one knew the difference.” – Karen Leonard

Perhaps more importantly than cultural synergies, the fact that both Punjabis and Mexicans could check ‘brown’ meant they would be able to circumvent anti-miscegenation laws, especially stringent in California at the time.

A woman spinning cotton in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Punjab (1915). The only outside work that Sikh women of the Jat caste in Punjab were allowed to do was pick cotton—cotton was the crop that brought many Punjab-Mexican families together. Mexican families displaced by the Mexican Revolution found work in cotton fields from Texas to California, enabling many of the marriages to form.

Tens of thousands of Mexican women and children worked cotton fields in the United States, such as the Mexican woman above wearing an apron and standing next to a cotton field.

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Source: https://www.ndtv.com/video/shows/ndtv-special-ndtv-24×7/us-sikh-community-how-hard-working-immigrants-made-a-foreign-land-home-242048

http://www.pbs.org/rootsinthesand/images/families/singh/couple.jpg

Mota and Consuelo Singh pose for their wedding photo. Consuelo was born in 1911 in San Andreas and was raised in Morenci, AZ where her father was a copper miner and she helped pick cotton alongside her sister. In 1934, her sister married a Punjabi man named Mola Singh, nicknamed Vicente, which is how she met Mota Singh, a labor worker turned farmer. She recalls what he said to her after she scratched her hands picking cotton: “No mas you go field. We gonna get married.” They married in Las Vegas on February 7th, 1935, and went to San Diego for the World Fair as their honeymoon.

http://www.pbs.org/rootsinthesand/images/families/singh/consuelo80.jpg

Consuelo recently at the age of 80. Below are more photos of marriages between Punjabi men and Mexican women, courtesy of Karen Leonard’s archives online.

Jon Box Abdulla and Juanita Chavez Abdulla married in September 1926 in Watras, New Mexico and has their first child, Ali Abdulla, in Brawley, CA. Most families ended up having five to six kids on average (Leonard, pp. 178).

Valentina Alvarez and Rullia Singh take their wedding photo above. They were one of the thousands of Punjabi-Mexican couples that formed in the United States.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/punjabi-sikh-mexican-american-community-fading-into-history/2012/08/13/cc6b7b98-e26b-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_story.html

It is estimated that by 1946, there were 400 Punjabi families in California, 80% of which were between Mexican women and Punjabi men. In regards to cultural diffusion, Leonard and others detail how Mexican women insisted on raising the children in their own culture, raising them as Catholics and teaching them both Spanish and English. While Punjabis were largely accepting of their wives’ traditions, they also made attempts to control the family and children, leading to at least 20% of the marriages in divorce (Leonard, (pp. 145-153). In these cases, the women almost always received custody of the children. Most of their children also ended up marrying among Anglos or Hispanics. Later in the century, Mexican-Punjabi marriages resurged as Indian immigration restrictions eased.

Source: Karen Leonard

http://legacy.sikhpioneers.org/images/women-c.jpg

Wives and daughters of Punjabi immigrants during the first India Independence Day celebrated in the Yuba City-Marysville, California area. With few exceptions, all the wives were of Mexican descent. Punjabi and Mexican culture fused together, creating children that carried names such as “Maria Singh”, or “Jose Rai”. Both cultures shared a rural way of life and second-class citizen status. In some cases, sets of Latina sisters or other female relatives married ‘Punjabi business partners’, meshing into joint households.   

 

Rasul’s El Ranchero restaurant in Yuba City was a Mexican restaurant that served customers for almost 40 years. The cuisine featured tamales and fajitas as much as it did chicken curry and roti. Its most popular dish was ‘Hindu Pizza,’ in which Mexican ingredients adorned a roti and where ‘Roti Quesadilla’ was a popular dish. Although El Ranchero closed down in 1993, Punjabi-Mexican cuisine represents one of the legacies of the cultural amalgamation between Sikh men and Mexican women.

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https://edifyedmonton.com/style/weddings/imran-and-chelsey-gills-traditional-punjabi-ceremony-and-western-reception/

Ceremony and Western Reception

How a Punjabi groom and a Dutch bride incorporated traditional elements from both cultures into their wedding.

BY BREANNA MROCZEK | JANUARY 1, 2020

 

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When Imran Gill and Chelsey van Weerden (now Gill) were planning their wedding, they wanted to acknowledge their backgrounds: Punjabi and Dutch. To do so, they opted for a traditional Sikh ceremony followed by a Western reception on the same day, even though Indian weddings will typically split up the ceremony and reception over two days.

“Indian weddings are less about the couple and more about the family coming together,” Imran says. “But knowing two cultures were coming together, we wanted something more modern.”

But family was still an important focus, and the week leading up to the wedding in Vancouver, the couple and their families celebrated with a variety of Punjabi events.

“It’s a chance for everyone to get to know one another, because the wedding day goes by so fast,” Imran says.

His family hosted the sangeet ceremony with about 100 close family members, and incorporated the mehndi event, where women get their mehndi/henna art done. On the same night, Imran’s jaggo, consisting of people from his mother’s side of the family, kicked off an evening of dancing.

“It was really cool to see even Chelsey’s family doing bhangra throughout the night,” Imran says.

The day before the wedding, Imran participated in a haldi ceremony, where his relatives covered him in turmeric.

“It’s an old, Indian tradition that’s meant to be cleansing,” Imran says.

Their wedding day started with a traditional Sikh ceremony that included a pulla (scarf) ceremony to symbolize their commitment to each other, the reciting of four laavans (verses), and the exchanging of floral garlands. The Gills opted not to get married in a temple because they wanted to use their own officiant: Baltej Singh Dhillon, the first RCMP officer in Canada to fight for the right to wear a turban on the job. Dhillon delivered the ceremony in both English and traditional Punjabi dialectic.

 

“This gave the opportunity for everyone in the room to understand what was taking place,” Imran says.

For the ceremony, Imran and Chelsey wore traditional Sikh attire made in India. Guests were asked to cover their heads and take off their shoes before entering the space as a show of respect, and everyone sat on the floor as a sign of equality.

“In Sikh tradition it’s emphasized that nobody is higher than the other, we’re all equal,” Imran says. “And the bride isn’t given away, it’s acknowledged that it’s the bride’s choice to be there. The ceremony is about two people coming together, two families coming together.”

Chelsey and Imran changed into a dress and tuxedo for their reception, which kicked off with a bhangra performance. The evening continued with traditional Western elements including dinner, speeches, and a lot more dancing.

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 In Gurdwara !!!  Atheist !!!

1 year ago today I was married in a Sikh Temple. Even though I'm a White Atheist I was made very welcome

Atheist 

i.imgur.com/IsRBz....

 

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https://greekreporter.com/2020/01/15/blending-traditions-a-greek-orthodox-man-and-sikh-fiancee-marry-twice/

Blending Traditions, Greek Orthodox Man and Sikh Fiancee Marry Twice

 

ByNick Kampouris

January 15, 2020

 

 

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A popular Australian TV show on the SBS network titled ”Marry Me, Marry My Family” aired an episode on Tuesday showing the struggle a Greek-Australian Orthodox man and his girlfriend, who is of Malaysian descent and a devoted Sikh, went through in order to be married.

George and Ranmeet met and fell in love with each other a few years ago in Melbourne.

However, they are both deeply faithful; George is a devoted Orthodox Christian, with a long family tradition of respecting and celebrating the Greek Orthodox faith.

Ranmeet has the same strong family tradition, which is deeply rooted in Sikhism.

How could they overcome these hurdles and marry and go on to create a family?

This is exactly what the show presented, showing just how far love can bring people, and what can be done if their will, and their love, is strong enough.

George decided to convert to Sikhism and offer to his future wife the wedding she and her family had always dreamed of.

On her behalf, Ranmeet decided to become an Orthodox Christian to allow George to continue his own family tradition of having a proper Greek Orthodox wedding.

 

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https://weddingstylemagazine.com/inspiration/real-weddings/persian-sikh-wedding-beach-moon-palace-golf-spa-resort-cancun-mexico

 

SHIRIN SHARIFIKHAH & RONNIE JAGDAY

April 18-19, 2015 in Cancun, Mexico

 

View Wedding Album

Shirin and Ronnie met in 2011, when they were both on vacation with friends in Las Vegas. After a night of dancing and laughter, they parted ways. Unbeknownst to Shirin, however, Ronnie was keeping in touch with her cousin, and the three of them met up again later that year. They began communicating on a daily basis, and Ronnie soon invited her to visit him in California, where he had been living for the past ten years. 

It was during her weekend trip to California that Shirin realized how special Ronnie was. “I looked at him with admiration for his love of family and friends, life and success–I knew at that moment that I wanted to be part of that love,” she shares. During their long-distance relationship, it became clear that Ronnie was also someone who Shirin could always depend on. “He never made empty promises; rather, he always stuck to his word, no matter what it was.”

After a 17-day trip visiting New York, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, and Florence, the couple found themselves in London, where Ronnie popped the question by the River Thames. 

For their nuptials, Shirin and Ronnie decided to have a destination wedding in Mexico. They both fell in love with the Moon Palace Golf & Resort, with its luxurious hotel feel and its universal appeal. The wedding planning process included partnering with Melba Lapham-Jensen from Mi Tierra Holidays, whom Shirin refers to as “an ace and star of the planning portion” of the event. “She coordinated 100 international flights from all over the world and accommodation–each family with different needs–and she took care of each and every one of them.”

Ronnie is Sikh and Shirin is Persian, so their destination wedding in Mexico consisted of two separate ceremonies. On Thursday, a beautiful welcome dinner was held, during which gifts were handed out to the guests. On Friday, it was time for the Manya–a cleansing and beautification ceremony that took place the night before the Sikh ceremony, complete with dinner and dancing. 

The bride and groom’s Sikh ceremony began at 11am and took place in one of the resort’s gazebos. It was spoken in both English and Punjabi, which was a new and different concept for most, yet allowed everyone to enjoy and understand what was being said. “For Ronnie and me, the ceremony was euphoria,” says the bride. “We looked at each other and knew how lucky we both were.”

For Shirin, she was particularly excited for the Persian wedding–something she had been looking forward to her whole life. It ended up being a very personal, touching experience that turned out even more perfect than she imagined. Arriving in a horse and carriage, she was met by a teary-eyed groom, and the couple was married by her grandfather.

After the Iranian ceremony, guests relaxed with a cocktail hour and live violinist. Everyone then proceeded to the beach, where a spectacular fireworks display provided entertainment. For the reception, the bride and groom served all of their favorite foods including various salads, corn on the cob, and lamb lollipops. Tall centerpieces of white roses and shorter vases of floating orchids also graced the tabletops. 

The night was a wonderful celebration filled with dancing and dining, with the sound of the waves in the background. “I could not have imagined a more perfect week,” says Shirin. “The memories we made are ones I will treasure for a lifetime.”

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https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/hindu-and-sikh-traditions-came-together-at-this-elegant-malibu-wedding

ANOTHER COUPLE who had Anand Karaj despite one not being Sikh...!

Hindu and Sikh Traditions Came Together at This Elegant Malibu Wedding

 

 

BY ALEXANDRA MACON

June 22, 2021

 

Photo by Mili Ghosh Photography

Sharan Keswani, the director of retention marketing at clean beauty brand Skylar, had just joined the dating app The League when Deepak Ramanathan, a director at a private equity firm, was one of her first matches. They exchanged a few messages and then decided to meet at a local restaurant called Little Sister for dinner and drinks. “He always says, ‘You tricked me!’ because I was living in Orange County at the time, but put ‘Los Angeles’ as my location. Can’t blame a girl for widening her net!” Sharan jokes. “His profile said he was Australian—and I loved Australian accents, so naturally, I had to meet him in person to see if the accent checked out.” Needless to say, it did, and after a few hours of good food and even better banter, they shut down the restaurant that night. The couple went on to date for about two years—“long distance” as Deepak likes to tell people because of the 50 or so miles between them.

In May of 2019, Sharan and Deepak drove to Malibu under the pretense of a celebratory "work dinner" after the closing of a big deal. Upon arrival, Deepak cruised right past the restaurant and simultaneously asked Sharan to put on a blindfold. “It was pretty clear what was about to happen at that point, but I still anxiously went along in anticipation,” Sharan remembers. “Moments later, as we walked out onto the beach, Deepak realized he forgot the ring in the car and told me, ‘wait here!’ I laughed in my head thinking, where am I going with a blindfold on? He returned and said, ‘You can remove the blindfold now.’” Deepak had adorned a nearby blanket with flower petals and photos of the couple from over the years. “Just as it began to rain, he asked me to marry him,” Sharan says. “I was elated. It was one of the happiest moments of our lives.” The surprises continued when they met Sharan’s family for dinner afterwards—and then their closest friends for an engagement party the day after.

The original wedding was supposed to be in Palm Springs. Both Sharan and Deepak love the outdoors, and they felt that Palm Springs—with its desert plants, starry skies, and mountain backdrop—perfectly encompassed their vibe. “When we ultimately decided to postpone our wedding [due to the pandemic], we thought things would get better after a few months, but unfortunately, things were still very uncertain,” Sharan remembers. “With Deepak’s parents in Australia and the borders closed over there for the foreseeable future, we made the tough call to cancel our four-day Palm Springs wedding.”

They still wanted to celebrate in some capacity, even if it meant that most of their friends and family would be attending via Zoom. “We decided to do something closer to home so that our local family and friends wouldn’t have to travel far under the circumstances,” Sharan explains. “Choosing Malibu felt like it was where our wedding was meant to be.”

They had two ceremonies—each representing one of their cultural backgrounds—and the couple worked with Smita Mohindra of Ethnic Essence to plan it all. On a Friday morning in February, eleven guests gathered at the Malibu Temple for a small South Indian Hindu ceremony, with a few friends and family and Deepak's parents Zooming in from Australia. The temple, nestled in the mountains, set the scene for the kind of quaint, quiet ceremony that the couple was hoping for. Sharan wore a traditional Kanjivaram saree for the occasion. “They are woven from pure mulberry silk thread and designs are inspired by nature,” Sharan explains. “My mother-in-law chose this particular saree for me, in my favorite color yellow. I loved the delicate texture, intricate patterns, and subtly regal style of it.” Deepak wore the traditional South Indian groom’s attire—a two-piece garment known as a veshti and a silk angavastram draped around his neck.

“Having a small ceremony really allowed us to be present and in-tune with the different rituals and customs being performed,” Sharan says. “Each custom was so unique and symbolic...I truly felt like, ‘This is it, we did it!’ when we exchanged garlands with each other. We garlanded each other three times to symbolize our commitment to a life together.” 

In the first two exchanges, Deepak placed his garland over Sharan, but for the final exchange, they garlanded each other at the same time to show that they accept each other as equals. This was followed by their vows. 

“As someone who grew up watching rom-com marathons on TBS, I always imagined exchanging personalized vows that were filled with inside jokes and heartfelt sentiments,” Sharan says. "However, there is something really romantic and timeless about the seven vows, taken in steps, at a Hindu wedding. They have been honored, repeated, and followed through the centuries. As I held Deepak's hand and we recited the vows together and stepped forward symbolically onto 7 flowers, one for each vow, I felt united.” After exchanging rings—three including mettis, or toe rings—family and friends showered the newlyweds with flower petals as a token of their love and blessings for the couple's new life together.

On Sunday, the celebration continued at the Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, with friends who arrived with their negative COVID tests in hand. “It was truly a momentous day for us to see so many of our family and friends after a year long quarantine,” Sharan says. “That extended separation only made this celebration more sweet.”

Since Deepak’s parents and many of his friends and family from abroad weren’t able to attend in-person, Sharan wanted to make sure he still felt loved and supported during his baraat (wedding procession). “Many of my friends were with me getting ready, and it was the warmest feeling to be surrounded by them,” Sharan says. “Even though I wanted them to stay until the ceremony started, I urged them to join Deepak for the baraat to share with him that feeling of warmth that I’d felt in their presence.”

Traditionally, the groom enters on a horse, but Deepak is a car lover so Sharan surprised him with a convertible Ferrari instead. He cruised into the baraat accompanied by his favorite 90s and 00s hip-hop songs mashed up with Bollywood hits. Friends and family danced alongside him to kick off the Sunday festivities.

Once Deepak had made his grand entrance, the Anand Karaj (Sikh wedding ceremony) followed. “As I walked down the aisle with my parents, I felt at peace that we had finally made it to this day after so many ups and downs over the course of the past year,” Sharan says. “Sitting down next to Deepak at that moment I truly felt like a bride.”

For the Anand Karaj, Sharan wore a traditional Lehenga from Astha Narang. “I met with Astha in February 2020 to design what I was envisioning,” Sharan says. “I wanted something classic and timeless that would last forever in my closet. We focused heavily on embroidery and subtle floral motifs. Traditionally, brides wear red for their weddings, but I opted to wear a dusty rose in keeping with the soft hues I wanted for our overall color palette of our ceremony.” Sharan paired this with a Kundan jewelry set and red wedding Chura (bangles worn by a bride to signify her married life ahead).

“Sikh ceremonies are typically very serious in nature. During the kirtan, a shabad, or hymn, is sung to signify that marriage is not just a social and civil contract, but a spiritual process uniting two souls so that they become one inseparable entity,” Sharan explains. “After the year we had, we really have become inseparable.”

After the Anand Karaj, guests gathered for a mini-reception, and Sharan changed into a wine colored gown designed by Reynu Taandon. “I was absolutely in love with the deep cut back,” she says. She paired the dress with a diamond and ruby gold necklace and earring set that her parents gifted to her. Nida Gazi from Beauty by NG pulled together the bride’s look with romantic hair and makeup.

Typically langar, or food that is blessed, is served following the Anand Karaj. Because of COVID, tables were arranged by household, boxed lunches with fusion-style food like Tikka Ravioli, Chili Garlic Hakka Noodles, and Achari Paneer Tacos were prepared by Mantra Cuisine, and drinks like Mango Lassi and Mint Masala Soda, were individually served. “Making our guests feel comfortable was our priority,” Sharan says. “And while the traditional aspects of a post-wedding reception, like tearing up the dance floor and dance performances by friends were missed, the newlyweds were just happy to be in the company of family and best friends.”

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Photo by Mili Ghosh Photography

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My mother-in-law chose and gifted me my saree for our Hindu ceremony, in my favorite color yellow. It was perfect against the detailed architecture of the temple and the blue sky that day.

[Kaurr]

On 11/15/2021 at 2:53 AM, Premi5 said:

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/english/a-vegemite-paratha-is-this-punjabi-australian-couple-s-favourite-dish

 

A Vegemite Paratha is this Punjabi-Australian couple's favourite dish

 

Mecca Gill, Gursehajbir Singh Gill and Sherbir Singh Gill Source: Supplied

The Gill family has become quite a star on social media and their pictures often garner hundreds of likes within hours of being posted.

UPDATEDUPDATED 05/01/2019

BY AVNEET ARORA

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Sherbir Singh Gill and Mecca Gill have been married for over three years, but it most certainly was not love at first sight.

31-year-old Gill who arrived in Australia from the northern state of Punjab in the year 2014, on a student visa, met his future wife "by chance" when he moved into a shared accommodation in Melbourne where she was staying with another friend.

“For the first few months, we literally didn’t speak to each other at all despite living in adjoining rooms,” Mr Gill told SBS Punjabi.

“I would stay locked up in my room and do my path, while Mecca would be out there chilling with her friends.”

 

A love story which most certainly was 'not' love at first sight

Supplied

 

So what changed?

“What really broke the ice was a cup of tea that I would make for everyone in the house every morning before heading out to college.”

“So one day, she stopped and asked me, “Why do you go to such lengths when you know that I don’t drink tea at all?””

“I told her that our Guru Nanak Dev ji taught us to ‘share what you have’ and that’s exactly what I follow,” recalled Mr Gill as what he told Mecca at that time.

And that is all it took Mr Gill to melt Mecca’s heart but the picture was far from complete. The climax came when he decided to introduce her to his parents.

“I just took her to a beach, facetimed my parents, flipped the camera towards Mecca and told them ‘she is the one’.”

"All hell broke loose at my family home in Amritsar", reminisced Mr Gill who said that his parents were initially "shocked" but it took a little “sister meddling” to pacify them.

“It was my younger sister Preet who came to our rescue. And gradually my parents softened to Mecca and accepted our match, but not without conditions.”

“They asked us to solemnize the marriage according to the Sikh tradition before continuing to stay under one roof,” Mr Gill told.

The Gills have been happily married for over three years

Supplied

 

Now Sherbir and Mecca, who have recently shifted to Perth are “happily” married and proud parents to their one-year-old boy, Gursehajbir Singh Gill who is learning to fold hands and say Sat Sri Akal.

“He will get there,” hopes Mr Gill who feels he has lucked out to get a partner like Mecca who is trying hard to endorse his way of life.

“I feel so lucky. Mecca is endorsing Sikhism, she is learning Punjabi, my son has started to wear a patka, what more can you ask from life,” said an emotional Mr Gill.

When we asked Mrs Gill how life has changed after marriage, pat came the answer-“life is beautiful,” she said with a smile worth millions.

 

There are some undeniable differences, the couple agreed, but they have found their own way to bridge the gaps, with love.

“For instance, he likes parathas, I like Vegemite, so we have invented the ‘Vegemite parathas’,” said the proud Mrs Gill who claims to have mastered the art of Punjabi cooking while Mr Singh does what Punjabis are best at-no points for guessing, “eating.”

“I was a healthy 83 kgs when we got married, now I am lurking somewhere at a 114 kgs,” shared Mr Gill who is almost “regretting” the fact that Mecca has discovered the secret passage to his heart is indeed via the stomach.

The ‘happy family’ has become quite a star on social media and their pictures often garner hundreds of likes within hours of being posted.                         

The family of three is now looking forward to visiting Punjab, later this year to reunite with the extended Gill clan and visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

But until that time, the couple is hoping their son learns to say a little more than “nahiiii” (no) in Punjabi which happens to have become his favourite word, of late.

“There’s only one Punjabi word that Sehaj has picked up and that is ‘nahiiii’ (no) or if I say “aaja put” (come here, son) he understands that this means papa is calling me,” said Mr Gill.

Vegemite and parontha are amazing on their own. No need to put them together, that's just gross.

I have no problem with interacial marriages. Who gives if one of them is asian or black or white or anything in between. As long as they're sikh, and they're gonna raise their kids sikh, that's all that matters.

[Jacfsing2]

Why are they allowing non-Sikhs in the Anand Karaj though?